We’re
in that catch-your-breath after Christmas calm trying to remember what year it is.
(How long will it take before I stop writing 2019?) And wondering when the ice
and snow will arrive - when we’ll wish we were snowbirds sunning in Arizona.
We
know the ice and snow will come - maybe not enough to close schools, but enough
to make walking treacherous. (I remember the wonderful snowy days when I was in
grade school staying in bed hoping to hear my mother walk into my room and saying.
“There’s no school today.” What a feeling knowing unexpectedly I had the day
off to play in the snow!)
But
during the snowy or icy days it’s best to stay home. But if you do need get out
because you want to enjoy a nutritious Meals-on-Wheels lunch at the Center,
think of the phrase “Walk like a Penguin”.
What
does that mean? Well, it’s a way to think about walking safely in snow and ice.
To walk like a penguin, try the following: point your feet out slightly; bend
your knees and keep them loose; extend your arms out to your side (and hands
out of your pockets); and take short steps or waddle.
In
addition, since we haven’t evolved webbed feet yet, wear shoes or boots with
traction. And this is where I must really pay close attention: assume all wet
and dark areas on pavement are icy - especially around snowbanks where the melt
off freezes over-night.
Whether
it’s icy or not, this is also a good time to remember that falls are the
leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults. So this
winter, don’t rush, pay attention and remember to “Walk Like A Penguin”!
Would
like a part-time gig for eight to ten weeks that pays $16 an hour plus mileage with
flexible hours? Sounds too good to be true? It would except once every ten
years when the U.S. government is looking for census takers. Think what you could
do with the extra cash. A trip to Hawaii or the Caribbean? New clothes? Gifts
for the grandkids? To apply you can go online at 2020census.gov/jobs or call 1-855-JOB-2020.
You can be a part of history while supporting your community by helping to ensure
there is an accurate count - which affects how billions of dollars are
distributed.
I’ve
mentioned it before, but I need to mention it again because this raffle has the
perfect prize: twelve $25 gift certificates from The Dalles finest restaurants.
The Center’s Meal-a-Month Raffle tickets are being sold at the Center for $10 apiece
or 3 for $25. You have three chances to win, and you may be one of those three winners!
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is regarded by some as "the
most important and influential rock-and-roll album ever recorded" and was ranked
number one of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" by Rolling Stone
magazine. One of the album’s songs, written by Paul McCartney, is about
a young man singing to his lover about his plans for their growing old together.
For this week’s “Remember When” question, the young man is asking, “will you
still love me when I’m …” what age”? Email your answer to
mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or drop it off with a
special version of the song recorded by McCartney’s children as a surprise
present for his birthday in June 2006.
The earlier
name for The Dalles Health and Rehabilitation Center was Valley Vista and the business
once located where Holstein’s is today was the Handout. Rhonda Spies and John
Huteson remembered the Handout (which Diana Weston points out was owned for
many years by Phil Hammond after he sold the Dairy Queen on 4th and Union), and
those who answered both questions correctly were Diana Weston, Lana Tepfer,
Carol Earl and this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket Karl Vercouteren.
Now
that I’m back from the “Windy City” Chicago, those who answered The Poseidon
Adventure from the previous week were Rhonda Spies, Lana Tepfer, Delores
Schrader, Carol Earl and the winner Don Hansen,
Well,
it’s been another week, trying to find the place I am supposed to be. Until we
meet again, you know you are getting older when you start every new
conversation with “I may have told you this before, but...”
"An
optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees
only the red stoplight. …The truly wise person is colorblind.” Albert
Schweitzer
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